On March 30, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Marci Roberts of Marathon to the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA), for a term set to expire August 31, 2021.

The mission of TCA is “to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas.” For fiscal year 2017 the TCA will disperse $5.5 million in grants to 150 Texas communities with six percent targeted to rural communities.

Roberts is one of five commissioners to serve on this board. Roberts told the Gazette her appointment is “exciting and something new.” Roberts said she is looking forward to funding projects, and that the state “really wanted a Big Bend presence” on the commission; “I see myself going into the community and brainstorming on arts projects and hopefully will get the funds to do it.”

Roberts is executive director of The Marathon Foundation, and owns and operates a number of local businesses including The French Co. Grocer, Evans Gallery, Desert Critter Wear, and Moe Design, and she is director of the annual Marathon2Marathon. Roberts is also president of Marathon Primary Care Services, and former president and treasurer of the Marathon Chamber of Commerce. She is the past vice president of the South Lamar Neighborhood Association in Austin and past president of the Marathon Public Library.

She is licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners as an architect and interior designer. Roberts received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from North Texas State University.